This invention relates to methods and apparatus for removing oil spills.
Considerable concern has been given to techniques for removing oil spills from bodies of water and surrounding beaches resulting from large amounts of oil being discharged from large oil tankers as a result of a collision or like disaster. The resulting polution of the water and land mass has long term serious detrimental effects on the wildlife, ecology and economy of large areas. Intensive and varied removal efforts by private and governmental agencies have been widely explored.
To date three general methods have been utilized with limited degree of success. First, physical absorption techniques have been developed which rely essentially upon the ability of material to absorb the oil. Such compositions as expanded mica, diatomaceous earth, talcs and other like materials have been applied to the spill to absorb the oil. To be even marginally effective large amounts of the material must be utilized. Furthermore, it is very difficult and expensive to process the material to remove the absorbed oil and material from the water or surrounding area. Such material is difficult to pump, skim or screen.
The second method involves the use of a dispersing agent such as emulsifier or surfactant. Such methods depend upon the action of the dispersent material to fracture the oil slick into relatively small globules which will then sink or may be carried from the main body of the oil slick by wave or tide action. However, such dispersents are frequently detrimental to marine and wildlife and sometimes create a greater hazard than the oil slick itself, particularly when the material is washed ashore.
The third general method includes techniques for facilitating the burning of the oil in situ. Some experimentation has been done in the application of finely divided, particulate material to the oil slick or spill to increase the ability of the oil layer to burn. An example of such a procedure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,698 granted on Jan. 19, 1971. The process provides for the application of certain particulate solids to the spill to increase the ability of the oil to be ignited and combusted more completely. However, such techniques at best have been only partially successful.
One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide apparatus for application to oil spills to substantially increase the ability of the oil to be completely burned in situ.
An additional object of this invention is to provide apparatus for treating oil spills that is capable of facilitating the burning of a wide variety of oils, even heavy crude oils, with considerable efficiency.
A still further object of this invention is to provide apparatus for treating oil slicks with a material that may be readily ignited and capable of efficiently burning the oil.
A still further object of this invention is to provide apparatus that is relatively inexpensive for treating oil spills to render the oil highly burnable.